Coin that survived a shipwreck

 The British East India Company coins used to be minted at Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta mints. However, invention of steam-driven minting machinery made it more economical for copper coins to be minted in Britain and shipped to India. This coin was produced in 1808 for the British East India Company at the Soho Works, Birmingham by Matthew Boulton, renowned for his partnership with the inventor and engineer James Watt.

It formed a part of the cargo of the East Indiaman Admiral Gardner, which set sail from the Thames estuary for Madras on her sixth voyage to India on 24 January, 1809. Unfortunately, the ship encountered a heavy storm the very same night and sank the following day on Goodwin Sands. Lost among its cargo were nearly 50 tons of copper coins meant for the Madras Presidency. The Company put the value of the lost cargo at £21,579.

In 1976, some copper coins began appearing in sand dredged from the Goodwins for use as fill during construction work at the Dover Harbor. The wreck itself was finally discovered in 1984 by a local fisherman. Over 1 million coins, sealed in wax in small barrels, were salvaged.


British India, Madras Presidency: AE 20 Cash, Soho mint, 1808, KM# 321 (12.9 g, 30.7 mm)

Obverse: Coat of arms of the East India Company: two lions, St. George’s cross on the crest and flags, motto on the ribbon “Auspicio Regis et Senatus Anglia” (By the authority of the King and Parliament of England), date 1808 below

Reverse: Persian Bist kas chahar falus ast (Twenty cash make four falus), “XX Cash” below. All within a plain raised rim.



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